Eye of the Beholder
by Miss Starfire
Summary: Random snippets of Tony and Pepper's relationship after the end of Season 2. Multi-chapter. Drabbles, maybe? No plotline. No continuity. NO ANGST (lol). No real goal, actually. Just fluff – with a twist: Pepperony from Rhodey's perspective!
1. Hazel Meets Blue

**Standard disclaimer for all my stories:** My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;) If you don't like, please don't read. I appreciate reviews and constructive feedback but if you cannot stand the plot, save yourself and me some time and walk away. You don't have to love all IMAA stories :) I don't own IMAA. My stories are better viewed by using the "half screen" option of FFNET.

 **Summary:** Random snippets of Tony and Pepper's relationship after the end of Season 2. Multi-chapter. Drabbles, maybe? No plotline. No continuity. NO ANGST (lol). No real goal, actually. Just fluff – with a twist: Pepperony from Rhodey's perspective!

* * *

 **Eye of the Beholder**

 **Chapter 1: Hazel Meets Blue**

The development of their relationship had been unhurried; its natural changes virtually indiscernible for the both of them, but they had been blatantly obvious for anyone seeing them from the outside. Although it was clear to the world that their feelings of friendship had turned into a deeper, more powerful connection – and that the couple was not shy about showing the other affection in any way that fancied them – it was not an uncomfortable scene to witness. In fact, as far as anyone that knew them was concerned, Tony Stark's and Pepper Potts' boyfriend-girlfriend relationship status was worthy of staring in awe.

Even the self-proclaimed queasiness that had once engulfed James Rhodes when first seeing his two closest friends behaving in a romantic manner was practically gone. After nearly two months of observing their dating history, the sick and uncomfortable feeling in Rhodey's stomach had been replaced with a feeling of authentic happiness for his best friends. It had even become an unspoken life goal for anyone who knew about them, actually, Rhodey included, to someday finding someone so special, so quirky, and so crazy and madly in love with you that absolutely nothing else mattered in the world as long as you were with them… exactly as it was currently being presented by _Exhibit A_.

From the corner of his eye, Rhodey noticed that Tony was splitting his attention between drawing Iron Man schematics on what should have been his class notes, pretending to pay attention to what Professor Klein was reciting about Physics, and stealing furtive glances to his redheaded girlfriend. Rhodey knew that Tony thought he was being slick about it all – that the genius honestly believed he was discreetly eyeing his girl while she paid attention to class, but James Rhodes knew better than that. He _had_ known Tony for all of his life.

This was one of the reasons why Tony's and Pepper's relationship had become so fascinating for Rhodey: its progress was somewhat akin to history in the making. Tony had not once ever shown this much commitment or interest to anything other than to science or to Iron Man. Heck! Other than when dating Whitney, Rhodey had never seen Tony play the part of a romantic partner before. For this reason, it sometimes felt as if Rhodey was meeting Tony all over again – or, at the very least, seeing in him a side he was not even aware had existed within the once oblivious-to-feelings blue-eyed boy.

"So," Professor Klein turned to face his pupils, "Who can tell me what the velocity would be for this particle at this point in time?"

"Oh-oh!" Pepper impatiently raised and waved her hand.

"Yes, Miss Potts?"

"The velocity of the particle at t=6 is 25 meters per second!"

Her correct response made Tony Stark smirk, his eyes never leaving the paper before him.

"Absolutely, Miss Potts! Very good!"

Professor Klein turned around in place after praising the wide-eyed ginger and then continued on with his lecture.

The eye contact across two rows of seats between hazel and electric blue eyes was brief, but not too brief that Rhodey did not get a chance to catch Tony winking at Pepper, or the slight tint of red on Pepper's cheeks and nose.


	2. His Room

**Chapter 2: His Room**

"I need something to drink," Tony said once he paused the video game he was playing with his best friend. "Want something, Rhodey?"

"A Coke?" Rhodey replied, set down his gaming remote on the coffee table between the couch and the television, and then sprawled his arms on the back of the sectional. "And some chips, too, if you have'em."

"Spicy or mild dip?"

"Whatever you can handle, wuss."

Tony shook his head, chuckled, and then exited the room.

Even though Tony had returned to live at Stark International as soon as Howard had recovered his company, it was still odd for Rhodey to once more having to travel across town to visit his childhood friend. Tony had lived with the Rhodes for two years while he had been considered an orphan, but in that time, Rhodey had become accustomed to having Tony around all the time – day in and day out. However, he now had to become accustomed to something entirely different: hanging out with his friend in his bedroom, which could easily double as somebody's private penthouse in a luxurious high-rise.

Growing up, Tony had made use of different rooms around Stark International based on what he felt like doing at a specific point in time in his life. In fact, he had not ever truly chosen one specific room in the entire building to call _his_. The young billionaire had spent most of his time with his father in their lab, inventing amazing things left and right, day and night, until resorting to passing out in exhaustion on a worktable or a nearby couch.

If he thought about it further, Tony's room at the Rhodes' home was perhaps the first the genius actually ever had. Possibly, Rhodey mused from time to time, it had been this experience – this _feeling_ , of having a small place in the entire world to call your own that had led Tony Stark to finally claim a room in Stark International upon his return to the building.

And he had claimed one of the biggest bedrooms, at that.

And Rhodey could see, right about now, yet another reason why Tony had decided to finally getting a room after spending a lifetime as a nomad.

On the coffee table, inside a small crystal vase placed in the middle of it, lay a mountain of candy and gum. And not just any type of sweet treats either – they happened to be Pepper's favorite kind.

Rhodey could not help but smirk.

With his curiosity piqued now, his eyes began roaming around the premises. Sooner rather than later, his increasing interest made his legs move. Before he knew it or could stop himself, he had found multiple traces of the redhead's presence in Tony's life.

Underneath the coffee table, he found a tiny, partly used scented eraser he had seen Pepper use when doing homework, along with a couple of pencils that showed teeth marks all over them. It was not unknown that Pepper took school rather seriously, homework included, and it was obvious to him that the ginger had perhaps spent some time in this very room, completing school assignments with the help of her super smart boyfriend, while nervously or anxiously chewing on the writing utensil.

Atop one of Tony's bedside tables, Rhodey found a framed picture of Pepper and Tony at the arcade, sitting at a table-for-two, both proudly showing off a boatload of small and useless knickknacks and other junk they had undoubtedly received in exchange for tickets earned while playing games. Next to said picture frame, was a multiple-photo strip of the couple; the kind that he knew could be bought after using the silly photo booth kiosk at the mall. The strip had five individual images, all vertically printed on the same photo sheet, and each one displayed the duo posing in a manner that was even more ridiculous than the previous one. From sticking out their tongues at the camera, to poking the other's face, all five images were proof that the redhead and the genius had had a blast acting like fools that particular day.

Rhodey's search then took him to a cork board on the wall, and on it he found a few more items of interest: the ticket stub for the Reed Richard's conference Pepper had given Tony, a long time ago; a handwritten note from the redhead that read _"Go to bed already;"_ used ticket stubs for movies that Rhodey knew Tony would have _never_ watched by choice; a newspaper clipping of Rescue in action; and, the most surprising of all for Rhodey, a receipt for the purchase of a baby rabbit, to be delivered to Pepper's home, on the morning of her upcoming birthday.

Rhodey chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. Last year, Tony had arranged a private training session with S.H.I.E.L.D. for Pepper's birthday. This year, he had gotten her a bunny.

 _I'll be! The dude's in love!_

That much was clearly obvious to him.

To what extent, Rhodey was yet to find out.

* * *

 **A/N:** SUPER MANY THANK YOU'S FOR _Elinorwrites_ , _SilverPedals1402_ and _kickinfan321_ for reviewing! Thank you to ALL my Faithful Readers, of course, but the ones who reviewed get virtual non-fat cookies! Liked this chappie too? Review! There's more virtual cookies for you!


	3. Red and Gold

**Chapter 3: Red and Gold**

He had no idea what the conversation was about, but the redhead was as animated as ever while she spoke to her boyfriend by his locker. He was not close enough to them to hear their voices on top of all the other noises made during passing period at the Tomorrow Academy, but the topic was not what interested him. What had caught his attention, however, was the apparent _promise ring_ that Pepper was wearing on her quickly moving right hand.

Rhodey was not sure when she had gotten it, and he was actually not even sure if it _was_ a promise ring at all. However, he knew that Pepper was not really into jewelry – she never wore rings, earrings, necklaces, or anything of that sort. Therefore, the sudden appearance of a red and gold diamond ring on her hand was a cause for intrigue; and a good enough reason to interrupt their morning locker routine.

"Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Rhodey!" the couple said in unison and waved at their friend.

"What's up?" Rhodey asked, his eyes briefly landing on the ring in question, but neither of his friends caught on to his implied inquiry.

"Drama, Rhodey! That's what up!" Pepper rolled her eyes. "Did you hear the rumor about Daniels' new project? I swear that woman will be the death of me! I'm never going to graduate at this rate! I'll become, like, one of the workers cleaning up 'round here. _Forever_."

Rhodey could not hold back a smile. "Why, Pepper? What did Daniels do now? What are you talking about?"

"Tell him, Tony," the redhead said while she covered her eyes with her right hand in an exaggerated manner, looked away from the two boys, and extended her left arm in the opposite direction. "Break the news to this poor soul."

Tony snickered at Pepper's theatrical antics, slurped from the straw of his drink, and then faced his friend.

"Rumor has it that Daniels wants to put up a school play as the final exam assignment for our class. As in: _sell tickets and bring the media_ type of final exam."

"What?" Rhodey felt his left eye twitch. "Are you serious?"

Tony shrugged. "Just a rumor right now."

"From a very credible source," Pepper added, hands now folded on her chest.

"The class syllabus or the teacher?" Rhodey, who was now standing between his two friends, took out his history book from his locker and then exchanged it for his chemistry textbook in his backpack.

"Well, no," Pepper shyly looked at her shuffling feet.

"Then don't worry about it, Pepper," Rhodey patted the girl's shoulder. "It's probably just part of the senior prank."

"THE SENIOR PRANK!" Pepper's head snapped up and she hit her right fist on her left palm. "It could all just be part of the senior prank!"

"The what?" Tony frowned, his left shoulder now resting against the door of his locker.

"Oh, Tony," the redhead walked towards the inventor, stood in front of him, and then tenderly rubbed his cheek with her left hand. "I forget you know diddly squat about traditions."

"Well," the inventor began. Before Tony continued his retort, Rhodey noticed the moment Tony's left hand held Pepper's right one, and also when his fingers quickly traced the ring before letting it go. "I know enough."

Just as he had seen happen before, Pepper's cheeks turned bright red while Tony's eyes traced every single pore on her face, obviously proud of the reaction he had incited in her. She looked towards the floor, bit her thumbnail, and then sighed in relief when the warning bell rang. It was all she could clearly do to keep her embarrassment from embarrassing her even more.

"Well, huh, that's my cue! Ha-ha! See you two during lunch! Yes, uhm. Bye now!"

A dashing flash of red and purple moving away from their location was all Rhodey saw before he turned around to stare at a smiling Tony Stark.


	4. Shoes

**A/N:** Have I said how much I'm loving that my Faithful Readers are loving this story? No? Well: I LOVE IT! PEPPERONY FOREVER!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Shoes**

He knocked on Pepper's front door three times. Ten seconds later, the redhead opened the door, toothbrush in mouth, and invited Rhodey inside her home with a wave of her hand.

"Not ready?" Rhodey inquired when he saw her rush back into the bathroom on his way to her bedroom.

"Nuh-uh! Sowy!"

This was the third day in a row that Rhodey had picked up the redhead at her home to give her a ride to school. Typically, and since he lived far away from the city, Rhodey drove alone to the academy from his home. On the other hand, Tony walked to Pepper's place, every day, picked her up there, and then they both walked to school together. Now that Tony lived in the city again, heading to the Tomorrow Academy meant he had an opportunity to deviate from the path a little in order escort his girlfriend to and from her home.

After three weeks had passed since starting this routine, Rhodey had asked Tony why he did not just get a car or a bike, or even a freaking limousine, for all he cared, to make the school travels easier for him and the redhead. Tony had just shrugged, smiled softly, and had then uttered a response that had taken Rhodey a few days to figure out: _"It's what normal people do. I know I don't do normal, but this time… this normal… it just_ _ **feels**_ _… nice."_

By _nice_ , Tony had meant that he enjoyed walking with Pepper, alone, hand-in-hand.

"Just five more minutes, Rhodey!"

"OK!"

He sat on the edge of Pepper's bed, quietly taking in the specifics of her room. This girl was such a walking contradiction – you could not easily tell if she was a girly-girl, an airhead, a nerd, a feminist, or a tomboy – and her room was just an extension of this mystery of life. Her walls were littered with images of pretty boy actors as much as there were articles of successful women she admired and looked up to. There were also clothes that were particularly feminine, some that were the complete opposite of that, and some that were so provocative that one could not ever picture the redhead wearing them in public. Fiction and non-fiction books, textbooks, and even celebrity gossip magazines from varied topics were also present, as well as about a hundred pairs of shoes. Pictures of her friends and family practically covered her vanity and full-size mirrors, buried her work table and dresser and, to Rhodey's surprise, none of these images were of her and Tony alone.

For some unknown reason, the thought made Rhodey frown.

"Where is my doggone _shoe_?"

The ginger's unexpected shout startled Rhodey for a moment and he turned to stare out into the hallway that led to living room, where the yell of frustration had come from. Realizing that Pepper was not talking to him, he turned away from the entrance to the bedroom and resumed his somewhat dark line of thought.

Was Pepper not as into the relationship as Tony was? Was she not as committed to the genius as he was to her? This vow was the reason why Rhodey was here in the first place, giving a ride to the spunky redhead: because Tony Stark himself had asked him to do so while he was gone.

 _The look of confusion and surprise on Rhodey's face must have made Tony uncomfortable as, in a sudden twist of events, the genius billionaire began shuffling his feet and shifting his eyes left and right in the same fashion his girlfriend tended to do when unsure._

 _"It'll only be two weeks," Tony continued. "Just two weeks, I promise."_

 _When Rhodey tilted his head to the side, but was yet to utter a word, Tony began to ramble._

 _"I-I… I know it's a lot to ask. But there's no one else I can trust with this. I know it'll add more travel time for you, but I'll make it up to you. And, well, I'll pay you for the gas. And the time. And the trouble… I-I," Tony began fumbling with his wallet. "Do you want cash? Or a check? Hell! Do you want my credit card? Here… here, just take it! Do whatever you want with it! Buy a new car or payoff the one you have. Or pay your insurance in advance… Or how about–"_

 _"Tony," Rhodey was taken aback. "It's OK. I'll do it, man."_

 _"Really?" Tony sighed. "I mean: thanks! I… here, take the card."_

 _"No, T. Put that away. I'll be fine. I can take Pepper to school while you're out."_

 _"But, that'll double your expenses! I… I want and need your help, but not if–"_

 _"Tony! Put away the dang card!"_

 _Tony opened his mouth, evidence that he was about to argue back, but no sound came out. Thankfully for Rhodey, the genius simply nodded, smiled, and sighed again._

 _"Thank you, Rhodey. This means a lot to me."_

 _"I can tell. But, why go through this trouble for only two weeks? Pepper can take care of herself, you know? She's not a damsel in distress."_

 _"I know," Tony's smile widened, "This is not because of that. I know she can handle herself. Plus, she has her dad, Rescue, and you."_

 _"So? Why the concern, then? She's in good hands."_

 _"I," Tony looked down again. "These meetings around the world for partnerships between Stark Solutions and Stark International and other companies are important. I don't want to go, but I_ _ **have**_ _to go. I… I need to be focused on that, and I need to be there, 100%."_

 _"So… In other words… you aren't really doing this because you don't think Pepper's safe while you're away."_

 _"No," the genius's voice lowered. "I… I'm doing this for my sake."_

Rhodey's frown deepened at the thought.

Here he was, fulfilling Tony's request of keeping an eye on Pepper so that Tony was not distracted by worrying about her being alone, and Pepper did not even have the courtesy to have ONE picture of them? Yes, there were plenty of pictures of the three of them together, but _none_ of her and Tony only! The nerve of the girl! Maybe this relationship was not the best for his friend. Maybe Pepper was not as serious about it as he had thought her to be. Maybe… maybe…

"Rhodey!" the redhead skidded to her bedroom's door. "I know I said five minutes, but I can't find my left shoe! Please, help me!"

"Which one?"

"This one," the redhead lifted the single shoe she had in her hand. "I thought I had them by the entrance, but I only found one. I think the neighbor's dog took it again! I'm gonna go check it out. But, just in case, can you look for it around here?"

"Yeah, sure. Alright."

"Thank you!" the ginger ran back to the entrance, slammed the door on her way out, and Rhodey fell to his knees to search in the most obvious place for a missing shoe to be: under the bed.

Not surprisingly, yet annoyingly so, the space under the bed was filled with shoe boxes.

"Oh, nuts."

One by one, Rhodey began taking out each box, inspecting it, and then putting it right back. Box by box, Rhodey became even more irritated by the assignment. Second by second, his negative thoughts about the value of Tony and Pepper's relationship clouded the execution of his task.

Why did Pepper have so many shoes, anyway, if she always wore the same ones?

"Girls," Rhodey mumbled as his hand reached out to grab the furthest box under the bed, pulled it out, and then opened it up to see that the contents of this particular box were not shoes… but of a metaphorical slap to his face from the redhead.

"Huh…"

The box was large and thick; perhaps even the same box that had once held Pepper's incomplete pair of shoes. At the moment, however, it was a cardstock-made safe for similar mementos he had seen in Tony's room: movie stubs; customer copies of restaurant checks; pictures of the blue-eyed genius and the redhead together; handwritten _love_ letters; Iron Man newspaper articles, birthday greeting cards… and a ring box that Rhodey easily discerned that it probably belonged to the ring Pepper had not taken off her right hand.

"FOUND IT!"

Pepper's voice made Rhodey yelp as he scrambled to put away the box, return the bed skirt to its regular position, and then crawl his way to her half-opened closet door.

"Phew!" Rhodey stood up when Pepper walked inside her room, wiped invisible sweat from his forehead, and then succeeded in appearing nonchalant. "Good thing, too. We're gonna be late."

"I know! I'm sorry! If we get detention for this, I'll take yours for you."

"I'll hold you to that," Rhodey smirked, picked up her backpack from the floor, and then began walking towards the door. "Come on, Pepper. Let's go."

"Wait!" the redhead snapped her fingers, "Just one more thing."

"Now what?" Rhodey rolled his eyes.

"Two seconds," Pepper replied, walked over to the corner of her room, opened the top lid of a pet crate, and then petted her bunny's soft fur. "I'll be back later, Antonio."

"Antonio?" Rhodey raised a single eyebrow.

"Yes, Antonio. I named my bunny: _Antonio_ ," Pepper snapped and glared at her friend.

"Antonio? Like, where the Alamo is? _San_ Antonio?" Rhodey intended to give her the benefit of the doubt before he started teasing her directly.

Pepper's glare deepened to dangerous levels. A moment later, once Rhodey lifted his hands in a defensive manner, her expression was replaced by a soft and caring one as she continued to rub the bunny's head.

"We named you after your Daddy, didn't we? Yes, we did! Do you miss Daddy? I know you do. I miss Daddy, too. But he'll be back next week, won't he?"

It took Pepper a moment to realize what she had said. And once it dawned on her, the color on her face matched her hair.

"I… I mean… uhm…"

Rhodey bit down his tongue, looked left and right, and then cleared his throat. "I'll meet you in the car."

He was only able to hold his laughter for as long as it took him to reach the hall.


	5. Texts

**A/N:** I can't say how happy I am that you're all enjoying this story. Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much for reading and reviewing!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Texts**

The vibrating of Pepper's cell phone forced Rhodey to look away from the television screen and towards the device in question. He lifted it from the table when it buzzed a second time, so that it would not continue making a loud noise, and then scanned the notification messages to see that Tony had called and texted the redhead, just a few seconds ago.

" _Hey! I only have a couple of minutes before I board. Are you there? Have you seen Pepper?"_

This time, the message had been sent to Rhodey's phone.

Rhodey's head turned to his left to eye the slumbering redhead on the couch. She was curled up under the covers, dried tears still on her face and, given the circumstances, Rhodey did not have the heart to wake her up just yet – even if it was for Tony Stark.

 _"She's asleep, T,"_ Rhodey replied via his own phone after leaving Pepper's on his lap.

 _"Nuts! Was in a meeting. Just heard her voicemail. She OK? You with her?"_

 _"Yeah. Cops just left. Staying here tonight."_

 _"Her dad back?"_

 _"No. Mission got extended."_

 _"Ugh! What's the damage?"_

 _"Broken window. A mess to clean up. Valuables gone. Some electronics and cash. Jewelry. And Antonio."_

 _"Darn it! Taking the other stuff at least makes sense, but who breaks into a place and steals someone's pet bunny?!"_

 _"Burglars?"_

 _"I know, but… Ugh! Poor, Pepper!"_

 _"She's really upset about it."_

 _"No joke. Could barely follow her voicemail message."_

 _"She was sobbing."_

 _"Sigh."_

 _"You coming back?"_

 _"Yes. Landing in ten hours."_

 _"OK. I'll tell her when she wakes up."_

 _"Nah. Just tell her to check her phone."_

 _"OK."_

 _"I gtg. Boarding."_

 _"K, T. See ya tonight."_

A second after the text conversation ended, Rhodey grabbed on to Pepper's phone as it began vibrating again when receiving Tony's messages. It buzzed nonstop for about a minute or so before it finally ended. He then eyed the phone to make sure the incoming communication had stopped, and was taken aback when he saw the preview of the last message Tony had sent to his girlfriend.

 _"I love you, Pep."_


	6. Free Period

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Stellarscapes: Great chapter! I love the fluidity of it...and the last part aw** – OMG! NEW REVIEWER! *bounces off the walls. runs around the house. trips* WELCOME, FAITHFUL READER! I'm glad you liked it! These chapters feel weird for me because they're kinda random and not really scheduled or pre-planned, so I'm VERY happy that they make sense to my Faithful Readers :D

 **A/N:** Sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I had to leave the city on Thursday to assist my parents. Their home was broken into.

I cannot thank you all enough for the blast I've been having reading your reviews and basking in your support. I seriously, seriously, SERIOUSLY print your reviews and smoke them like pot XD

Keep'em coming!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Free Period**

As it turned out, the rumor about the final exam assignment for Drama class was true. They only had two more months of school left, and while the work in most of their classes was beginning to wind down, any time spent in Daniels' class would be used practicing for a rather rashly-put-together play.

"I'd rather take a thousand-question long test on everything we've learned in class in the past two years, than acting on stage," the genius whispered.

"Yeah, because _you_ can memorize two years of school work in one afternoon," Rhodey countered, his eyes perusing the script in his hands. "The rest of us are not geniuses, Tony."

It was clear to Rhodey that Tony wanted to pace around, wave his arms in the air, and be a little bit more eloquent about his anger, but with a napping Pepper laying partly on the ground of the roof of the Academy and partly on his lap, he could only continue to whisper his discomfort with the entire assignment.

"Plus," Tony continued, his voice barely audible despite the tone of utter annoyance with the task. "Who leaves it up to chance what part we get to play, anyway? I mean, seriously! Drawing your part out of a hat instead of applying for it? I would've preferred if we at least had some say on who got to play what!"

Rhodey's eyes lifted from reading his script to smugly and knowingly smirking at his friend. The opportunity to tease him was not going to be missed.

"What are _you_ complaining about? You got a short part."

"Well, yeah…" Tony's eyes lowering to stare at Pepper's face further confirmed to Rhodey the true reason for Tony being so upset.

"And you get to laze around after about only a fourth of the play is done," Rhodey reminded him, noticing how the inventor's fingers were now brushing Pepper's hair.

"Yes, but…"

"If anyone should be complaining, it should be the people who got the main roles, not you."

"Right, but…"

"I haven't even heard Pepper or Happy complain about it as much as I've heard you. And they have their work cut out for them!"

"I know, but… I-I-I mean… aren't the topics covered in _Romeo and Juliet_ against school's PDA rules?"

Rhodey's smirk turned into a smile.

"Principal Nara approved it. Romeo and Juliet's televised kiss has been sanctioned by the teachers. Neither Happy nor Pepper will get in trouble for it."

Tony's only response was a loud groan.

"I still don't have to like it," Tony said after a moment of silence.

"Jealous," Rhodey said between a cough.

"Bite me," Tony replied.

* * *

 **SHAMELESS ADVERTISING:** I have two other NEW fics up (but _The Last Chronicle_ could use some lovin' too!). One is titled _Red Rocket_. The other is _2020._ _Red Rocket_ is rated M, but it's not THAT specific. It was rated this way because of language and other adult themes, but nothing too nasty, TBH. _2020_ is of normal rating, but not of normal topics for IMAA (I think). Neither of these will have a sequel, so feel safe getting obsessed with them. When they're done, they're done XD. Some of you are already reading/following/reviewing, so THANK YOU! And here's more cookies for you… they were baked with the same fire I light up my dubbies made of Faithful Readers' reviews.


	7. My Hero

**Chapter 7: My Hero**

If Rhodey had not known any better, he would have believed anyone who told him that Tony and Pepper were born physically attached to each other, and that they had no issue being bound at the hip from birth. As in: they had been born conjoined, were unable to separate themselves by any medical procedure, and did not care to find a solution to the limitations their physical proximity caused.

Yes, this all made sense to Rhodey at the moment, as ridiculous as it sounded to the common person. Yet, he also knew that this was all just a phase in their relationship; an amusing phase to watch, actually.

Throughout the entire week, Pepper had embraced Tony whenever she was nearby. Whether it was on their way to school, at school, or after school, as soon as the redhead had had a chance to hold Tony's arm or surround his waist, she had done so. Tony Stark, so far, did not seem to mind.

 _"Pepper, people are starting to stare," Rhodey said between gritted teeth when the girl barely allowed Tony to walk down the hall and into class due to her tight grasp on him. Rhodey did not care if Tony and Pepper made fools of themselves with their antics, but he did care if other students began poking fun at him for being part of the scene the two lovebirds were making._

 _"I don't care," she responded._

" _Gah! Loosen up the grip, woman," Rhodey added when he almost tripped on Pepper's zig-zagging feet._

 _"No," Pepper sharply replied, nose stuck up in the air._

 _"Pepper, it was just a bunny. Let. It. Go," Rhodey insisted._

 _"No!" she shook her head and tightened her hold onto Tony's waist, forcing the genius to hold back a ticklish laugh. "He wasn't just_ _ **A**_ _bunny: he was_ _ **MY**_ _bunny. And Tony got him back!"_

 _"And for that you're gonna glue yourself to him for eternity?"_

 _"Maybe," she replied as she got even more comfortable under Tony's one-arm hug._

 _"Dude, seriously," Rhodey now directed his attention towards his other friend. "How are you able to move around like this? I'm not eating lunch with you two up on the roof today. I'm not putting up with weird questions from people about your behavior these past few days, again."_

 _"Your loss," Tony said, the smile on his face showing he was not the least bit concerned by school rumors about Pepper's clinginess to him. "We're having pizza."_

 _"Intravenously?" Rhodey spat. "'Cause I don't see any other way one can eat without using their hands."_

 _"Ha-ha," Pepper said in a mocking tone. "You just wish you were this heroic, James."_

 _"Pepper, I AM a hero, remember? I'm War Machine."_

 _"Yes, I know. But you're just_ _ **A**_ _hero. Tony is_ _ **MY**_ _hero."_

 _"Oh, boy," Rhodey groaned and walked away._

"Where's your twin?" Rhodey asked the inventor as soon as he walked inside the Makluan Temple. Due to daily required practice for Daniels' play, the heroes had been taking turns watching over the city. It had taken a lot of effort on their part to convince Daniels to let one of them be excused from rehearsal each day, and today had been Rhodey's turn to head to the temple straight from school.

"At her place," Tony replied, "Checking up on Antonio."

"Taking turns watching over your kid now? School, Iron Man, Stark Solutions, and now being a father. You have a busy life, T."

Tony narrowed his eyes at Rhodey, but Rhodey did not even flinch. In fact, he laughed aloud.

"I still can't believe you went searching for him, though," Rhodey continued. "Why didn't you just get her another pet bunny?"

"Wouldn't be the same," Tony shrugged, his eyes now scanning activity in the city to see if Iron Man was needed. "She'd already grown attached to Antonio. Plus, getting back most of her stuff and finding the guys who broke into her house while I was at it, made _me_ look _good_ ," Tony added with a proud sideways smirk.

"You're such an attention addict, Tony," Rhodey rolled his eyes.

"I only get what I deserve," Tony said in a smug tone.

"Psh! You just went through the trouble of getting back the old bunny because you _knew_ she'd know if you just bought her a new one and claimed it was the same one."

"Uhm…"

Rhodey raised a single eyebrow at his friend. Figures Tony Stark had ulterior motives for his heroics. For now, however, Rhodey felt generous enough to cut him some slack. To be fair, Tony probably only thought about getting a replacement bunny as a last resort. Tony was not good with emotional stuff, but even he knew better.

"Is Pepper coming by today?"

"Yeah. As soon as she feeds, bathes, and puts Antonio to sleep."

"For real?" Rhodey scoffed. "She's taking this pet business very seriously, isn't she?"

Tony shrugged. "I think it's cute."

"Of course you do," Rhodey began in a teasing tone. "You _loooove_ her."

Tony did not respond. There was nothing to deny.

* * *

 **A/N:** I just got back from walking at the park, and I saw TWO Antonios while there! Or, at least what _I_ envision Antonio to look like. What does Antonio look like to you? Let me know by voting in the poll I added to my profile :)


	8. Milk Carton

**Chapter 8: Milk Carton**

Rhodey flinched when Pepper carefully dabbed the cotton ball full of peroxide on his extended right index finger. The wound was not life-threatening, by any extent of the imagination – it was quite embarrassing, actually – but he had not been able to hold back the visible evidence of the slight discomfort the ginger's nursing of his injury brought to him.

"I'm gonna sue you," Rhodey narrowed his eyes at Tony.

"Crybaby," Tony replied, most of his focus on giving maintenance to his armor, and not in entertaining his friend's complaints. Rhodey, on the other hand, was not thrilled to not get a rise out of the genius billionaire – or not as much as he thought he deserved at the moment.

"Your son _bit_ me," Rhodey deadpanned.

"He's _not_ my son!" Tony replied over his shoulder.

"Don't move, Rhodey," Pepper ordered, the tip of her tongue sticking out from the side of her closed lips as she tried to place the adhesive bandage on the correct spot. "There you go!"

"Thank you, Pepper," Rhodey eyed his injured finger. "At least you take responsibility for your kid's actions."

"It was self-defense, Rhodey," Pepper replied as she walked to where Tony and Antonio were – the former sitting _by_ the work table, and the latter sitting _on_ the work table, eagerly chewing on a lettuce leaf, watching the inventor work.

"I just wanted to feed him! How is that an aggressive action?"

"Antonio doesn't like strangers," Tony replied and Pepper silently nodded to agree with her boyfriend.

"I had a carrot in my hand. I was going to give it to him. Aren't rabbits supposed to like carrots?"

"Antonio can't be bought," Pepper replied before she leaned down, kissed the top of her bunny's head and then handed him another piece of lettuce.

"Whatever," Rhodey mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Rhodey," Pepper pouted, genuine concern showing on her face. "I promise I'll help Antonio warm up to you."

"Nah, that's OK. Your pet is too violent for my taste," Rhodey replied in attempt to save face, and Pepper's shoulders slumped.

Antonio, the bunny, just sat there eating his lettuce.

"Hey, Rhodey?" Tony turned around with a smirk, sarcasm and mockery dripping from his voice. "Want me to add a rabbit-deterrent weapon to your armor? I mean, who knows when the next baby bunny attack will befall you! How will you protect yourself?! Ha-ha!"

"Laugh all you want, Tony," Rhodey pointed his bandaged finger at his friend, "But next time your little creature tries to bite me, you'll have to plaster his face all over milk cartons to ever find him again!"

Pepper's sharp gasp of shock was accompanied by her hands quickly covering Antonio's tiny ears.

Tony eyed the unsuspecting pet, happily nibbling on his food, exchanged a comforting smile with the redhead, and then narrowed his eyes towards his best male friend. It took Rhodey a second to realize what he had said – and the bad memories his statement had evoked. Yet, once it dawned on him, he sighed in defeat.

"Sorry, Pepper," Rhodey walked over to the redhead and gave her a sideways hug.

"It's okay, Rhodey," the redhead hugged him back and patted Rhodey's arm. "Don't worry about it."

"Jerk," Tony mumbled, eyes still in slits, before his face then softened when he stared at Pepper. "That was so uncalled for."

"I said I was sorry, OK?" Rhodey snarled.

"And we said Antonio was sorry for biting you! That didn't help you, now, did it?" Tony retorted.

"Guys, really–" Rhodey heard Pepper try to intervene, but neither he nor his friend paid any heed to her.

Antonio, the bunny, continued to sit there eating more lettuce.

"It's not the same!"

"No, it's definitely _not_ the same damage! Your finger will heal! But you just hurt Pepper's feelings!"

"Not that much, Tony, really. And you, Rhodey… R-R-Rhodey, wait, please…"

"And Pepper will be fine!" Rhodey replied.

"But there was still no need for you to say what you said!" Tony argued.

"And there was no need for me to get bitten! Or for you to call me a jerk!"

"Guys–"

"You just threatened to kidnap my son!" the inventor angrily spat. It took him a second to realize what he had just blurted out, but when his face turned beet red and his eyes widened at witnessing Pepper's jaw drop, Rhodey knew he had won the war. "Uhm…"

Rhodey smirked, crossed his arms over his chest, and then leaned closer to where Tony stood, his voice dripping with mockery and jest. "I thought you said he _wasn't_ your son."

"I-I…" Tony swallowed hard. "You-you know what I mean!"

"Oh, sure I do," Rhodey eyed Pepper for a second before saying his next words: "That makes you: his Daddy, which makes Pepper: his Mommy… and also: your wifey."

"Uhm…" this time, it was Pepper who was speechless and red in the face.

"Yeah, you two keep uhming," Rhodey said as he turned around in place, walked away from the embarrassed duo, and headed to the exit of the lab. "I'll leave you to tend to your kid."

"He's not my kid!" Tony pumped his fist in the air, his embarrassment growing exponentially. "He's just a stupid rabbit!"

A second gasp of shock, followed once more by a pair of dainty hands covering Antonio's ears, took place again. "Tony!"

"I mean… uhm…"

Rhodey laughed all the way outside.

And Antonio, the bunny, continued to just sit there and eat even more lettuce.


	9. Ghost Sleep

**Guest Review Responses**

 **Thank you for the favorite/follow:** _feffarica_.

 **Delilah: This is such a cute fanfic! I absolutely love it. I hope to see more soon.** – Thank you! Sorry I took forever to update. It's all my fault, having so many stories up when I know I have real life kicking my butt. I hope you like this one :D

 **Mario: Hey man, this is a great fanfic, are you going to continue it?** – As time permits, for sure! I love Pepperony. I will write for it as long as I can… they're just the best. Thank you for reading and reviewing ^_^

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Ghost Sleep**

Rhodey felt his head pound, his eyes sting, and his muscles scream in agony – everything in his body told him that he was better off just staying put where he was. Wherever _this_ was, regardless of the location; a fact that was not very reassuring for him: he did not know his current whereabouts. Even if he had _wanted_ to open his eyes to see where he was, he was in so much physical pain that just the thought of opening his eyes took a toll on him.

 _"How is he?"_ Rhodey heard Tony's voice ask, although it sounded as if it were far away from him.

 _"Scans say he's OK. But… but he's not responding, Tony. What… what if… what if…"_

 _Pepper?_

Rhodey's thought did not make it to his lips. He recognized the voices. He was familiar with the scents around him. He understood the meaning of their words. He knew how to work his mouth, lips, and vocal cords to utter sounds. However, none of this mattered when your body decided to shut down on you to heal.

 _"He's gonna be fine, Pepper,"_ Tony said, his voice sounding closer now, and Rhodey recognized the small hint of doubt in his tone. _"We're all gonna be OK."_

 _OK, from what?_

Rhodey forced his mind to work despite the pain it brought to him. He felt his forehead and eyelids wrinkle with the effort of sorting through his memory and, after a few minutes of excruciating effort, he finally remembered what had sent him into a semi-comatose state.

 _Ugh! Son of a–_

The mission had taken longer than anticipated, mostly due to the fact that it had almost spiraled out of control towards the end. Ghost had surprised them all with a final attack they had not expected – a ray that had rendered their suits unusable while falling from the skyscraper they had been fighting on. Had it not been for Tony's Extremis and quick thinking, they would all probably be playing harps right now.

 _That's why everything hurts!_

Iron Man had risked his life to keep Rhodey and Pepper from meeting their maker. And if he felt this crappy, he could not imagine Tony being much better than him.

 _"Pep. Let me check on you."_

 _"No. I'm fine. But you… you got hurt…"_

 _"Pepper, I'll heal. I have Extremis, but you–"_

War Machine expected the argument to continue in the typical fashion it did so whenever they got injured in battle. If it was Rhodey who got hurt, Tony would spend half of the time berating himself, and the other half coming up with new weapons or protocols to be better prepared next time. Pepper would spend half of the time patching him up, and the other half pacing around and worrying about whether or not she could do more to help him get better faster.

However, when it was Tony or Pepper that was injured, or when both of them got hurt, their customary reactions went into overdrive, preventing any progress for their recovery if Rhodey did not intervene.

This time, however, Rhodey could barely keep his soul from leaving his body. And the muscle relaxant Pepper had added to his IV line was making it even more difficult to try to jump into the conversation. Nevertheless, when almost a full minute went by in absolute silence, and when Rhodey's fear that he perhaps was not actually hearing his friends' voices, but that he was imagining their presence got the best of him, he forced himself to open his eyes.

What he saw, he was not expecting.

"Please, Pep. Please, don't cry."

The inventor's whispered voice was clear as day in the quietness of the lab, as were the sniffles coming from Pepper Potts. The genius was standing a few feet before her, shirtless, with a nasty bleeding gash that spanned from the lower right side of his stomach, to his middle back. The girl was covering her face with both of her hands, and her shoulders were shaking to the point that it made his own clavicles throb by just seeing the effort taken.

"It was just… just like during the end of the Makluan invasion," Rhodey heard her muffled voice behind her hands. "When-when the ship exploded, and you fell from up high…"

Tony's head hung. He then looked up and towards the pods that contained his other suits, exhaled loudly, and then closed the distance between himself and the redhead.

"Pepper," Tony pulled her hands from her face and kept them in his. "It was nowhere near that bad. Ghost is just one person. The aliens… that was a freakin' army."

"For me, it was," she replied instantly, her eyes on his. "I… I was so scared. It was like seeing it happen all over again: I saw you falling. The suit was offline. You hit the ground, with _both_ of us on top of you… and I thought that you'd… that you'd…"

She threw herself into his welcoming arms, although she kept her arms around his neck to not further irritate the skin around his midsection and back.

"It's OK," the genius kissed the top of her head. "We didn't, Pep. We're fine."

Tony comforting Pepper was not unusual, even when they had been nothing more than just friends. What was a first, at least for Rhodey to see, was for Tony to lift Pepper's head by her chin, clean her tears with his free hand, and then leaning down to tenderly press his lips against hers a few times. He had seen them hold hands, hug, Tony carry Pepper around in his arms or on his back, and even exchange chaste kisses on hands or cheeks. However, a real kiss, or at least some type of mouth-to-mouth contact, he had not seen until now.

"It's over, Pep. It's done. Rhodey's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine. I'm gonna be fine, too."

"For now," she countered after swallowing hard, her hands holding onto his cheeks. "We know Ghost will come back."

"We'll be ready," his tone suddenly turned decisive, steady, and full of confidence. "Rhodey, you and I. _We'll_ be ready for him when he does."

The couple remained silent once more while Tony's fingers carefully traced a rapidly-forming bruise on Pepper's left temple, dried blood on her right cheekbone, and a small cut near her eye. Even as out of it and as far away as he was from his friends, Rhodey could _see_ Tony's blood was boiling at seeing injuries marring Pepper's face. He could _hear_ the wheels in his brain turning, mapping out a plan of action to exert revenge on Ghost. He could almost _feel_ Tony internally scolding himself for allowing this to happen.

Yet, what happened next, which he did _not_ anticipate, almost made him fall from the gurney he was on.

"Tony, I _need_ to check up on that wound you've got there," she sniffled. "It's awful-looking, and it's bleeding, and–"

Tony's lips ended up on Pepper's again. But this time, the kiss was neither tender nor quick… nor chaste.

His hands circled her neck, pushed her head back slightly, and he towered over her to deepen the contact. Pepper took a few steps back, not ready for his sudden move, but she quickly stabilized herself by momentarily holding onto the edge of the worktable behind her. She almost placed her hands on his waist, but she stopped her hands just inches before touching it, opting to just resting them on his forearms while his hands still held her head in place.

It was surreal to Rhodey, the easiness they demonstrated while doing this – especially for someone whose first real kiss had not taken place until he had started dating the ginger. It was obvious that this was not the first time they had done this – and that they had had plenty of practice executing the flawless dance he was watching them perform.

After two full minutes, the passionate kiss finally ended, but they did not pull away from each other or open their eyes. They just remained quiet and standing, their hands brushing against the other's face, neck and arms, their breathing coming in short gasps, for what felt like a very long time for the nearly passed out boy.

Sometime shortly after, Rhodey felt his body demand that he disconnect from the world until further notice. And after realizing that they _had_ all made it out alive, and that they _would_ be alright, James Rhodes decided to stop fighting the imperative of his mind.


End file.
